No Regrets
by Wandering Fantasies
Summary: Ichitaka has the chance of a life time to get closer to Iori. Is he going to take up the opportunity and use it to his advantage or screw it up? -Alternate ending to Ch.1 of the manga. R&R please. I do not own I"s.-


"What's with those guys?"

"…"

"It's not fair to Iori. Let's call it a day…"

"I'm sorry, guys," Iori apologized, trying to put up her best calm front. "I'm all right. Let's just ignore them and keep going."

Not even a moment after she had said that, the guys outside were barking and howling at her from outside the window.

"C'mon, show us your stuff!! You know you love it!!"

"Yeah she does! You see those poses?"

"She's a real pro! Hahahaha!!"

"Hey! Can I do you? Just once?"

Just as the guys were about to throw out some more rude remarks, the curtains of the drama room were quickly closed so they couldn't see inside.

"Hey, what the…!"

"Oh, no peeking before the…"

Everything was beginning to fade out in his ears. All the nonsense that was being spewed from these horndogs… Ichitaka didn't even want to listen anymore, so he closed his eyes and tried to tune it out. Blocking out the voices proved to be difficult for him, but he managed. To help him with his troubles, one voice stuck out in his mind, an echoing friend from the past.

"_If you really like somebody… go after her with everything you've got!"_

Itsuki's voice rang in his mind as if she were standing right behind him, hypnotizing him with her encouraging words.

"If I really like someone," he repeated to himself quietly, "go after her with everything I've got…" He opened his eyes and looked to the crowd of guys.

"Strip! Strip! Strip! Strip!" They chanted altogether. Hearing this made him sick to his stomach.

"_Go after her with everything you've got!"_

"Iori…" He whispered, clenching his fists. "… Iori!" It was almost as if Ichitaka had lost control of himself for a second. Without any thought, he grabbed up the nearest stick and held a tight grip on it, running at the crowd with a piercing glare.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, YOU GUYS!!!" He shouted, swinging around the stick wildly. Most of the guys saw this and retreated instantly in fear of getting beaten up. However, one person had stayed back.

"You posed for that layout 'cause you like to turn guys on, right?! Then don't pretend to be so shy now!!"

The words stung both Ichitaka's and Iori's ears. Tears welled up in Iori's eyes and she placed her arms over her chest, looking down.

_This is it,_ Ichitaka thought to himself. _This is my chance to protect Iori. If I don't do this, I know I'm going to regret it later._

On impulse, Ichitaka had summoned the courage to run up and grab the twisted man by the collar of his uniform and slam him into the window with a few swift motions. The people in the drama rehearsal room were startled and angered by the sudden outbursts and ruckus, so they opened the curtains to see what the fuss was about. To their own surprise, it turned out to look like a scrawny boy was picking a fight with a senior.

The woman who opened the curtain pointed outside and muttered, "What the…?" Ichitaka acted as if he hadn't noticed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He cursed, clenching onto his shirt tightly with one hand while the other was holding his stick above his head. His hold was shaky, but he kept it strong. He went on through clenched teeth. "What kind of a freak do you have to be to harass a girl like that? More importantly, one who's younger than yourself!?"

Ichitaka's face was boiling red with anger, and he could swear that he was snorting steam. Nothing could break the trance he was under; the only thing on his mind was setting this pervert straight, to protect the one he loved…

… who was staring at him from behind the window, tears streaming down her face. She had a look of confusion, her head tilted to the side a little. Ichitaka looked from Iori to the sleazebag a few times before releasing his hold on him. In an instant, he stumbled a few steps before he turned around to face Ichitaka.

"You're going to pay," he spat. "You and that bitch are going to pay!" His eyes raged like a psychopath's as he shook his fist in the air. After his warning, he turned on his heel and ran away.

And just as he did, the older woman from the drama room pointed out at Ichitaka. "He's from your class, isn't he, Iori!?" She looked to Iori for an answer. She continued to stare at Ichitaka, nodding. "The creep who—"

"… Th-thank you…" Iori whispered softly, her cheeks turning a faint pink. Tears were still streaming down her rosy cheeks. Ichitaka dropped the stick, not knowing what to do. His stomach felt like it had a ton of tiny butterflies fluttering around. He felt like he was going to throw up, but he wound up smiling and waving it off. Biting down on her lip, Iori wiped her eyes with her sleeve and used her other hand to signal him to stay there for a while longer. He nodded.

Moments later, she slowly emerged from the school building and walked toward Ichitaka, her hands shyly placed behind her back. Her gaze was at the ground until she reached him, where she looked up into his eyes.

_Her eyes…_ Ichitaka thought in awe. _They're so beautiful._

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "about what those guys were saying. It was totally uncalled for."

Iori chuckled softly and shook her head. "It couldn't be helped," she simply replied. She sniffled and gave him a small smile. "Thank you for sticking up for me like that. Honestly, it surprised me. I thought you would be like those boys…" She looked down, the smile quickly wiped off her face.

"N-no, I would never do that!" He put his hands up, trying to assure her that he was being sincere. She nodded after a few seconds.

"I'm glad," she said. "… Listen, I feel sort of bad about all this, so… How would you like to…" She paused for a moment, her cheeks turning a slightly darker shade of pink. "… Let me take you out for some tea. It's the least I can do."

In that instant, Ichitaka felt like exploding and jumping around and hugging her all at once. But he didn't. He simply smiled and said, "Sure, if it's not too much trouble. That would be nice."

"Then it's a date," she noted. With a small wave goodbye, Iori made her way back to the drama room.

Once she was out of sight, Ichitaka sighed. Things couldn't have gone more smoothly for him.

This is a great start for Team I's, he thought. Now Iori and I can get even closer!

Looking up at the sky, Ichitaka took in a deep breath of air and smiled.

I'm so happy… Things could have turned out a lot worse!


End file.
